Black theatre in the United States has a heavy and long history. Black theatre can be dated back to the time period in which Black people were being kidnapped from their homes and brought over to be slaves in the U.S. They would be forced to come up from the brutality of the lower deck alone to sing and dance for the slavers, and oftentimes they would have to entertain like that to be sold off. Throughout slavery, the Black community was forced to entertain. As time went on, the Black community in theatre still didn't see change. Many times, their culture would be taken from them and be enacted by whites, whether it was a song or a type of dance, and made a joke of. If the African American was to be on stage, which did not happen immediately, they played soulless beings who didn't seem to have one trace of a brain. They were there for laughs, to be ridiculed and to enact the stereotypes placed on them by the Caucasian community at that time. Black actors were seen as clowns or mindless jokers. Blacks went on to try and fight this, such as William Wells, the "first black man to write a novel, a drama, and a book of travels." His work was never staged, but it showed through satire the evils of slavery. James Hewett, the first Negro tragedian, founded the African Grove Theatre in a response to the ways in which African Americans were being portrayed in the plays done by whites. They performed Shakespere, readings, recitals, etc. However, white audiences would oftentimes harass the actors onstage. On account, police actually raided the theatre many times, and came in during performances to drag actors to jail. When the African Grove Theatre closed down, Ira Aldridge, the second Negro Tragedian, took the torch and sailed to England. Aldridge's Othello was critically acclaimed in Europe, and Aldridge himself was able to perform in Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and more. Plays pushed "American Culture's" ballot by using the topic of anti-slavery.
However, this was only the beginning, and not a big jump for the Black community. The Minstrelsy, a type of entertainment that cast a dark shadow of the United States for the rest of her existence. Actors in this field corked their faces black to characterize the African American as once again: a mindless imbecile. African American Minstrel groups combatted this and tried their best to get away from the stereotypes that the minstrelsy created. Time progressed and with that came Harlem. It was as if the Black community in Theatre had suddenly reached an all time high, freeing themselves from stereotypes placed on them by that of past theatre and views. Black Theatre became a new aesthetic altogether, and from Harlem came the likes of Langston Hughes ( who opened three theatres of his own), Zora Neale Hurston, Marcus Garvey, and more. Theatres opened in Harlem and it was like the Black actor had finally found the right place to explore their voice. Plays with African Americans not portraying servents were finally in Broadway as well.
When the Great Depression hit, Harlem was hit as well. Theatres in Harlem were also hit, and so were the actors. The Federal Negro Theatre Project tried to comabt this by putting more into the Black Arts and reviving it. African American theatre however still had a long way to go. It changed throughout the forties, fifties, and sixties. The forties included hard times for Black theatre, with some shows in Broadway even failing. In a sense, Broadway had taken the "uprise" in a different direction, and the sixties brought it back to the right track. Both on and off-Broadway shows began to do well in theatre once more. The Civil Rights Movement inspired a sense of identity as well as a sort of "new age," in Black Theatre. However, it still has longer ways to go. Black theatre in the U.S. is still being driven by white producers, and until enough attention is given and the Black community is able to "steer the wheel" in their perspective and keep things running, it will stay in a static, sixties setting of something "on the rise," and yet not controlled by their own community. Things such as the New Lafayette Theatre's closing will be out of the Black community's control.
However, this was only the beginning, and not a big jump for the Black community. The Minstrelsy, a type of entertainment that cast a dark shadow of the United States for the rest of her existence. Actors in this field corked their faces black to characterize the African American as once again: a mindless imbecile. African American Minstrel groups combatted this and tried their best to get away from the stereotypes that the minstrelsy created. Time progressed and with that came Harlem. It was as if the Black community in Theatre had suddenly reached an all time high, freeing themselves from stereotypes placed on them by that of past theatre and views. Black Theatre became a new aesthetic altogether, and from Harlem came the likes of Langston Hughes ( who opened three theatres of his own), Zora Neale Hurston, Marcus Garvey, and more. Theatres opened in Harlem and it was like the Black actor had finally found the right place to explore their voice. Plays with African Americans not portraying servents were finally in Broadway as well.
When the Great Depression hit, Harlem was hit as well. Theatres in Harlem were also hit, and so were the actors. The Federal Negro Theatre Project tried to comabt this by putting more into the Black Arts and reviving it. African American theatre however still had a long way to go. It changed throughout the forties, fifties, and sixties. The forties included hard times for Black theatre, with some shows in Broadway even failing. In a sense, Broadway had taken the "uprise" in a different direction, and the sixties brought it back to the right track. Both on and off-Broadway shows began to do well in theatre once more. The Civil Rights Movement inspired a sense of identity as well as a sort of "new age," in Black Theatre. However, it still has longer ways to go. Black theatre in the U.S. is still being driven by white producers, and until enough attention is given and the Black community is able to "steer the wheel" in their perspective and keep things running, it will stay in a static, sixties setting of something "on the rise," and yet not controlled by their own community. Things such as the New Lafayette Theatre's closing will be out of the Black community's control.